Japan

Japanese scientists are about to launch solid-state batteries into space.

French floating PV specialist Ciel&Terre said the plant is being split into smaller islands, with a square shape, to avoid stress concentration.

Chinese inverter maker Sungrow has switched on a 6 MW / 21 MWh solar-plus-storage facility on the island. The FIT project’s connected AC capacity is limited to only 845 kW, but the containerized storage solution provided by the company ensures its viability.

The Japanese brand will continue to sell third-party-made modules under its brand in its home market, as it already does overseas, but in-house PV wafer, cell and module production will halt by the end of fiscal year 2022.

The 5x5cm device was developed by a Japanese research group. The thickness of the perovskite films was increased to reduce defects and pinholes and this was achieved by adding ammonium chloride to the lead iodine solution used in the formation of the films. The device was able to work for 1,600 hours at more than 80% of this efficiency.

The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States has brought hope the country will play a central role in the world’s energy transition and combating climate change. However, rather than teaching other countries lessons, the U.S. will need to catch up with the rest of the world, and it needs to do so quickly – the world won’t wait for the U.S.

Falling module prices will help PV post another record year after an estimated 132 GW was installed worldwide in 2020, according to an energy transition investment trends report published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Blockchain systems are being tested as a means of offering solar households revenue for excess power they generate, now the FIT program has ceased.

Land scarcity and grid congestion are the main reasons for unexpectedly low capacity allocations in Japan’s five PV auctions between 2017 and January 2020. However, the auction outcomes should not be seen as disappointing, as the average final prices were close to the cost of electricity for solar, says the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Scientists applied a model where rooftop PV and electric vehicle batteries are integrated into the energy system of nine Japanese cities. Their findings suggests that such a system could meet more than half of every city’s total energy demand by 2030, and as much as 95% in some cases. The model also reveals opportunities to cut both pollution and energy costs for urban populations in Japan.